Digital Commons Network^™

Preemption Of State Wildlife Law In Alaska: Where, When, And Why, Julie Lurman, Sanford P. Rabinowitch

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Development And Evaluation Of Brain Tumor Targeted Liposome Delivery System For Paclitaxel, Murali Krishna Divi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Primary brain tumors are a relatively common cause of cancer-related deaths. High-grade gliomas are the most common type of primary brain cancer, and the affected patients have a median survival of less than 1 year. Almost all malignant gliomas are incurable with the present standards of healthcare. Currently accepted therapeutic adjuvants to surgery, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, provide only a minor improvement in the disease course and life expectancy for patients diagnosed with malignant gliomas. Often, chemotherapy has failed to make any significant impact on the prognosis of disease because of significant local and systemic toxicity, problems with transport …

Theoretical And Experimental Evaluation Of Spatial Resolution In A Variable Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography Scanner, Roman Melnyk

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A variable resolution x-ray (VRX) computed tomography (CT) scanner can image objects of various sizes with greatly improved spatial resolution. The scanner employs an angulated discrete detector and achieves the resolution boost by matching the detector angulation to the scanner field of view (FOV) determined by the size of an object being imaged. A comprehensive evaluation of spatial resolution in an experimental version of the VRX CT scanner is presented in this dissertation. Two components of this resolution were evaluated – the pre-reconstruction spatial resolution, described by the detector presampling modulation transfer function (MTF), and the post-reconstruction spatial resolution, given …

Dna Binding Specificity Of Mu Transcription Factor C And Crystallization Of C : Dna Complex, Karthik Shanmugantham

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The lytic cycle of phage Mu is regulated by a transcriptional cascade consisting of early, middle and late transcription. The Mor protein is an activator of the middle promoter Pm and is encoded by the last gene of the early transcript. The C protein is an activator of the four late promoters Plys, PI, PP, and Pmom and is expressed from the middle transcript. Both Mor and C proteins bind an imperfect dyad-symmetry element just upstream and overlapping the –35 region of Pm and Plys respectively. The main aims of this study was, (1) To understand the binding specificity of …

The Role Of Multi-Drug Resistance Associated Protein 4 And P-Glycoprotein In Resistance Of Neuroblastoma To Topotecan And Irinotecan, Patricia Kellie Turner

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

High-risk neuroblastoma presents a significant therapeutic challenge because the 5-year survival rate remains less than 30% despite the use of surgery, multi-agent chemotherapy, radiation, and autologous bone marrow transplant. Novel therapeutic modalities are under development. The camptothecin analogs topotecan and irinotecan have been identified as successful cytotoxic agents. For topotecan, pharmacokinetically guided dosing to achieve a systemic exposure associated with preclinical anti-tumor activity in neuroblastoma xenograft models is feasible and has elicited favorable responses in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. However, some children with high-risk disease did not respond to the putatively effective topotecan systemic exposure. These children represent a subset …

Synthesis Of Novel Sulfonamide-Based Calpain Inhibitors And Their Potential As Anti-Tumor Agents, Jin Xu

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Calpain is a class of intracellular cytoplasmic cysteine proteases.1 The enzyme participates in different intracellular signaling pathways that are mediated by Ca2+.2 The two major isoforms of calpain universally distributed in most mammalian tissues are calpain 1 (µ-calpain) and calpain 2 (m-calpain). The exact in vivo function of the enzyme is not clear, but calpain has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions,3 such as cancer, stroke, cardiac ischaemia, muscular dystrophy, cataract and Alzheimer’s disease. Calpain inhibitors are therefore of interest as therapeutic agents and as biomedical tools.

Several potent calpain inhibitors isolated from natural sources as …

Influences Of Locus Of Control On Thinking About A Spinal Cord Injury, Sharon Rubin

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

In this study, the effect of locus of control on a visualization of a spinal-cord injury was investigated. Research has shown that locus of control plays an important role in determining the control one perceives to have over oneself and events. Life satisfaction is usually lowered because of negative behavior changes one goes through when experiencing a traumatic event, such as a spinal cord injury (Livneh, 2001). The research examined the hypothesis that those with an internal locus of control will be less upset following an intense visualization of a spinal-cord injury (SCI) compared to those with an external locus …

The Tri-Frame Model, Elsje Pienaar, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Hendrik J. Viljoen Publications

The tri-frame model gives mathematical expression to the transcription and translation processes, and considers all three reading frames. RNA polymerases transcribe DNA in single nucleotide increments, but ribosomes translate mRNA in pairings of three (triplets or codons). The set of triplets in the mRNA, starting with the initiation codon (usually AUG) defines the open reading frame (ORF). Since ribosomes do not always translocate three nucleotide positions, two additional reading frames are accessible. The -1RF and the +1RF are triplet pairings of the mRNA which are accessed by shifting one nucleotide position in the 5’ and 3’ directions respectively. Transcription is …

Minority Students’ Perspectives On Chemistry In An Alternative High School, Renee Peterson-Beeton

The Qualitative Report

Latinas/os form the largest minority group in the U.S. and they are growing more rapidly than any other ethnic group in this country. However, the number of Latinas/os in chemistry is not proportional to their population; they are noticeably absent from the physical science fields. Little research has explored the circumstances that Latino students encounter in high school chemistry. In this exploratory study, four Mexican American students and one Native American student were interviewed and observed in a physical science class at an alternative school that enrolled predominantly Latino students. Five underlying themes were found: negative perceptions of science, benefits …

Special Article: Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, And Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Childhood, Samuel S. Gidding

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

In adults, physical activity and exercise training are associated with reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, a reduced likelihood of developing adverse cardiovascular risk factors, and improved insulin sensitivity. In childhood, participation in appropriate physical activity may prevent the development of cardiovascular risk factors in the future and complement treatment of existing cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and overweight. Exercise in children can also significantly improve insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss. These e fects are mediated in overweight children by increases in lean body mass relative to fat mass and associated improvements in inflammatory mediators, endothelial function, and the …

Infliximab Tnf-Alpha Antagonist Decreases Intraabdominal Adhesions, Osman Kurukahvecioglu, Hande Koksal, Ozlem Gulbahar, Ozlem Erdem, Doruk Engin, Omer Yazicioglu, Mustafa Kerem, Ferit Taneri

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of infliximab on adhesion formation and it9s associated morbidity and complications. METHODS: This study was performed in the Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Turkey between July 2005 and October 2005. Thirty-five rats were randomly divided into 4 groups. Laparotomy was performed in the Sham group (n=5), whereas cecal abrasion was carried out in all other groups. After cecal abrasion 0.9% sodium chloride was administered in the saline group (n=10), infliximab was administered to the study group (n=10) and nothing was administered to the last group (n=10). Adhesion formation was evaluated with macroscopic and microscopic adhesion …

Thorax Deformity, Joint Hypermobility, And Anxiety Disorders, Murat Gulsun, Mehmet B. Yilmaz, Murat Pinar, Murat Tonbul, Cemil Celik, Barbaros Ozdemir, Kemal Dumlu, Mevlut Erbas

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between thorax deformities, panic disorder, and joint hypermobility. METHODS: The study includes 52 males diagnosed with thorax deformity, and 40 healthy male controls without thorax deformity, in Tatvan Bitlis and Isparta, Turkey. The study was carried out from 2004 to 2006. The teleradiographic and thoracic lateral images of the subjects were evaluated to obtain the Beighton scores; subjects9 psychiatric conditions were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-1), and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) was applied in order to determine the anxiety levels. Both the subjects and controls were compared …

Man-Threatening Viruses Isolated From Ticks In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed S. Al-Khalifa, Fathy M. Diab, Galila M. Khalil

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine tick viruses transmissible to man in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: We collected tick samples for identification from different region of Saudi Arabia during March 1992 - December 1992. Ticks collected from domestic animals were washed with buffer containing antibiotics, macerated, triturated in minimal essential media (MEM), centrifuged and the supernatant inoculated intracerebrally in suckling mice. Brains of mice showing disease signs were similarly treated and the supernatant inoculated on cell cultures. Antigen spot slides were prepared from material of blind-passed cell cultures showing cytopathic effects. The slides were overlaid by group-specific hyperimmune mouse ascetic fluid (HMAF) to different …

The Prevalence Of Abdominal Obesity And Its Associated Risk Factors In Married, Non-Pregnant Women Born And Living In High Altitude, Southwestern, Saudi Arabia, Mohammed E. Khalid

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity and it9s associated risk factors in a married, non-pregnant, high altitude female population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted from January to March 2003, with 438 currently married non-pregnant women aged 18-60 years, born and permanent residents in and around Abha, southwestern heights, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire describing the demographic, social, reproductive, physical activity, and educational status was completed. The subjects were measured by weight, height, and waist circumference (WC). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each woman (BMI=weight [Kg]/height [m2]). Abdominal obesity was defined as WC>88cm, and total …

Reinterpreting The Pollen Data From Dos Cabezas, Karl J. Reinhard, Vaughn M. Bryant, Sheila D. Vinton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The published pollen analysis of the Dos Cabezas giants, Geyer et al. (2003), lists variety of purported dietary pollen types. The paper also hypothesises that the giants were poisoned with plant toxins. We have severe reservations about the pollen evidence of diet and poisoning. We suggest that the analysts made several errors in their interpretation. Firstly, some of the discovered pollen types are not prehistoric endemics to the Dos Cabezas region of coastal Peru. These include the pollen of fava beans (cultivated in the Old World), and specified species of agave and sage. We believe that some or all of …

A Physiological Basis For Controlling Leafy Spurge On Nebraska Rangeland, Rob B. Mitchell, Corey Moffet, Ron Sosebee

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Applying herbicides at the appropriate physiological stage is an important consideration to effectively control leafy spurge.

Phylogenetic Affinities Of Plagiocirrus Van Cleave And Mueller, 1932 With The Description Of A New Species From The Pascagoula River, Mississippi, Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet, Vasyl V. Tkach

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Plagiocirrus loboides n. sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) is described from Fundulus nottii, F. dispar blairae, F. chrysotus, and Notemigonus crysoleucas from the Pascagoula River in Mississippi. Plagiocirrus loboides differs from P. primus Van Cleave and Mueller, 1932, by having a longer postcecal space (14-25% of body length vs. about 7%); a more anterior vitellarium (extending at least to the middle of the ventral sucker vs. to its posterior margin); and larger eggs (51-71 μm long by 23-34 μm wide vs. 40-55 μm long by 30-35 μm wide). Plagiocirrus loboides differs from P. testeus Fritts, 1959, by having a …

A Contemporary Challenge To State Sovereignty: Gangs And Other Illicit Transnational Criminal Organizations (Tcos) In Central America, El Salvador, Mexico, Jamaica, And Brazil, Max G. Manwaring Dr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Another kind of war within the context of a “clash of civilizations” is being waged in various parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere around the world today. Some of the main protagonists are those who have come to be designated as first-second-, and third-generation street gangs, as well as their various possible allies such as traditional Transnational Criminal Organizations. In this new type of war, national security and sovereignty of affected countries is being impinged every day, and gangs’ illicit commercial motives are, in fact, becoming an ominous political agenda.

Effect Of Endothelin 1 Genotype On Blood Pressure Is Dependent On Physical Activity Or Fitness Levels, Tuomo Rankinen, Timothy S. Church, Treva Rice, Nathan Markward, Arthur S. Leon, Dabeeru C. Rao, James S. Skinner, Steven N. Blair, Claude Bouchard

Faculty Publications

Contributions of the DNA sequence variation at the endothelin 1 locus to the risk of hypertension and to endurance training-induced changes in blood pressure were investigated in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study and the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training and Genetics Family Study cohorts. We identified 586 normotensive control subjects and 607 incident hypertensive case subjects from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study cohort (all whites) who were normotensive and healthy at their first clinical visit. The case subjects were diagnosed with hypertension during an average follow-up of 9.5 years, whereas the control subjects remained normotensive. The allele and genotype frequencies …

Designation Of A Neotype For Leptodactylus Gracilis (Duméril And Bibron, 1840) (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae), Rafael O. De Sá, A. Dubois, A. Ohler

Biology Faculty Publications

The examination of the preserved specimens in the herpetological collection of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, along with a review of the original literature, indicates that no extant specimen can be undoubtedly identified as the holotype of Leptodactylus gracilis (DumCri.l and Bibron, 1840). Furthermore, it revealed that the type locality recently assigned to this taxon is in error.

Integrating Conservation Uses Into Takings Law: Why Courts Should View Conservation As A Possible Highest And Best Use, Avery Emison Carson

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Proposing Measures For Assessing Systems Thinking Interventions, Megan Aline Hopper

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper presents an analysis of systems thinking interventions in educational settings. Although these interventions have been implemented in K-12 classrooms since the mid 1980s, there is still no clear definition of systems thinking or identification of the best method to test the effectiveness of interventions or methods for teaching systems thinking The goal of this paper is to answer the question: how do we assess the effectiveness of systems thinking interventions in education? In order to answer this question, I had to address the following sub questions: (1) what is systems thinking, (2) what systems thinking interventions are being …

Vulnerability Of Shallow Aquifers Of The Conterminous United States To Nitrate: Assessment Of Methodologies, Karthik Kumarasamy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Groundwater is an important natural resource for numerous human activities, accounting for more than 50% of the total water used in the United States. Groundwater is vulnerable to contamination by several organic and inorganic pollutants such as nitrate, heavy metals, and pesticides. Assessment of groundwater vulnerability aids in the management and protection of limited groundwater resources.

The focus of this thesis is to (1) statistically compare two groundwater vulnerability assessment models; modified DRASTIC (Acronym for Depth to water, net Recharge, Aquifer media, Soil media, Topography, Impact of vadose zone, and hydraulic Conductivity of aquifer) and ordinal logistic regression for NO …

Household Land Management And Biodiversity: Secondary Succession In A Forest-Agriculture Mosaic In Southern Mexico, Rinku Roy Chowdhury

Geography

This study evaluates anthropogenic and ecological dimensions of secondary forest succession in Mexico's southern Yucatán peninsular region, a hotspot of biodiversity and tropical deforestation. Secondary succession in particular constitutes an ecologically and economically important process, driven by and strongly influencing land management and local ecosystem structures and dynamics. As agents of local land management, smallholding farmers in communal, i.e., ejido lands affect rates of forest change, biodiversity, and sustainability within and beyond their land parcels. This research uses household survey's and land parcel mapping in two ejidos located along the buffer of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to analyze how household …

The Association Between Distance To Water Pipes And Water Bodies Positive For Anopheline Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) In The Urban Community Of Malindi, Kenya, Daniel E. Impoinvil, Joseph Keating, Rinku Roy Chowdhury, Robert Duncan, Gabriel Cardenas, Sajjad Ahmad, Charles M. Mbogo, John I. Githure, John C. Beier

Geography

The increasing risk of mosquito-borne diseases in African urban environments has been partly attributed to failed planning and resource underdevelopment. Though engineered systems may reduce mosquito proliferation, there are few studies describing this relationship. This study investigates how engineered systems such as roads and piped water systems affect the odds of anopheline immatures (i.e., larvae and pupae) occurring in water bodies located in Malindi, Kenya. Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Giles), An. arabiensis (Patton), and An. merus (Dointz) were identified in urban Malindi, with Anopheles gambiae s.s. being the predominant species identified. The Breslow-Day test was used to explore interactions among independent …

School Counselor Perceptions And Competencies For Closing The Achievement Gap : Implications For Counselor And Higher Education Programs For All Educators., Susan Rardon Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"If this generation of youth is lost, much of the hope for an economically, socially and technologically strong nation will also be lost." - Kuykendall, 1992 When youths become convinced that they will not be able to make it in mainstream America, they tend to take the skills they have and use them to take the low roads of life. Even though all citizens will ultimately be affected by the success or failure of these youths, it is a challenge for educators to provide ways to prepare them to choose the high road as the path for their lives. The …

Finite Element Modeling Of Soft Tissue Deformation., Hongjian Shi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer-aided minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has progressed significantly in the last decade and it has great potential in surgical planning and operations. To limit the damage to nearby healthy tissue, accurate modeling is required of the mechanical behavior of a target soft tissue subject to surgical manipulations. Therefore, the study of soft tissue deformations is important for computer-aided (MIS) in surgical planning and operation, or in developing surgical simulation tools or systems. The image acquisition facilities are also important for prediction accuracy. This dissertation addresses partial differential and integral equations (PDIE) based biomechanical modeling of soft tissue deformations incorporating the …

The Changes Of Fructos-2,6-Bisphosphate Level In Transgenic Mice Causing Cardiomyopathy., Jianxun Wang 1969-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heart failure is recognized as a major cause of death among diabetics. In type I and II diabetes, glucose uptake, glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation are impaired, and fatty acid utilization increases. These alterations in metabolism contribute toward cardiac contractile function. There is a gap in our understanding on how alterations in glycolytic metabolite fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F-2,6-P 2 ) affects cardiac dysfunction. Two cardiac-specific overexpression of PFK-2 (phosphofructose kinase-2) transgenic models were used to investigate the role of altered metabolism by F-2,6-P 2 in provoking cardiomyopathy. One model is with the PFK-2 kinase active and phosphatase inactive enzyme called MK and another …

Therapeutic Targeting Of Tumor Associated Macrophages., Stephanie Kaye Watkins 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies on the mechanistic induction of anti-tumor responses by IL-12 cytokine therapy have focused on the adaptive immune response, specifically the activation NK cells and T cells as the primary targets of IL-12 treatment. In contrast, little attention has been given to the potential role of macrophages in the initiation of anti-tumor responses by IL-12 therapy despite reports that macrophages play a major role in promoting tumor growth and metastasis and in suppressing anti-tumor immune responses. Based on the functional adaptivity hypothesis, which is the concept that macrophages functionally adapt, rather than differentiate into specific mature subsets, in response …

Molecular Interactions Between The Wilms' Tumor Transcription Factor And The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor During Nephrogenesis And Its Impact On Fetal Programming Of Renal Disease., Adrian Nanez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Embryonic development requires the orchestration of temporally precise genetic events that culminate in the formation of a complete organism. The molecular mechanisms responsible for ontogenesis are regulated by environmental and somatic factors in utero that activate or repress the expression of numerous genetic elements resulting in fetal programming of adult diseases. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an important nuclear transcription factor both during embryogenesis and throughout maturity in multiple organisms. Building upon interesting studies establishing a direct, novel link between AHR and post-transcriptional regulation of the Wilms' tumor suppressor ( WT1 ) gene, the overall goal of the project …